Nation's 'haves' should be concerned with all class levels

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s statement: “I am not concerned about the very poor because there are safety nets” is telling as to where we are as a society today. The safety nets that Mr. Romney was referring to are under attack, being eliminated and significantly reduced for the very poor. Programs such as Medicaid, Social Security and food stamps, the programs Romney is referencing, also have been under attack and significantly reduced.

What’s interesting, too, about his statement are the people he refers to as the very poor. By statistical data provided by the federal government, nearly 25 percent of Americans fall into the category of the “poor.” Based on unemployment records, the number of persons on food stamps has increased by nearly 50 percent in the last two years. The percentage of Americans dropping daily from the middle class into the category of poor is astounding.

As race becomes less and less of a divider in this country, the haves and have-nots have become the new major class divide. Individuals such as Mitt Romney, Warren Buffett and many Americans who live well above the poverty level have a moral and social responsibility to be concerned about the poor.

Simply put, I clearly recognize as others should that whatever good fortune we have been able to achieve inherent or be blessed with, it does not come simply from our own doing and being.

We did not achieve this on our own. For example, at my company, Clark Resources, there are 32 employees, and they all contribute to the success and good fortune that I might have achieved. They answer the phones, do construction, clean the facilities, and they do good work that helps make the company successful.

Plus, there are police who protect us, nurses who care for us and teachers who make our society better informed and educated. Simply put, our great fortunes are only given to us by the grace of God. Be it the 1 percent versus the 99 percent national movement or the tea party movement or paying higher taxes for millionaires and billionaires, the real question boils down to fairness.

There is nothing wrong in creating wealth and having wealth. The question is: What do we do and what is our responsibility for the wealth that we have achieved and accumulated to benefit our country? This issue and perception that Republicans are not concerned about the poor are unfair.

I am aware of a number of Republicans of wealth that take seriously their responsibility to improve the economy so that others can have a better quality of life. However, when Republican policies and candidates give a clear indication that they are not concerned about the poor, it only feeds into the caricature that many Americans have of the Republican Party.

Republican candidates must do more than give a good speech or backtrack their remarks or profess to be compassionate conservatives when it comes to caring about the poor. All of us who are fortunate to be a part of the “haves” need our actions to speak louder than our words.